I recently got hooked up to hi-speed internet and when I did I downloaded the latest version of AVG because I had been running 7.5 while on dial-up. When I try to update, it fails and shows the message "the connection with update server has failed".

I went to their help site and tried all the recommended fixes but nothing has worked.

There is also a message saying that they are having some trouble with one of their update servers so I am wondering if anyone else is having this problem.

I can't offer any real help, but a fairly recent thread (May 2008?) at Tech: AVG Anti-Virus Free discussed some problems people were having getting the more recent versions of AVG after updates were dropped for older ones. There might be a clue there that would mean more to you than any of it did for me, since I'm a non abuser.

While you're waiting for someone with appropriate knowledge and skill to appear you might take a look to fill the time.

I've been getting the "the connection with update server has failed" message too...got one just this morning. All I do is open the AVG main window and click on the 'update now' box, and it goes just fine. I have no idea why the automatic system doesn't work.

I've had a little text window pop up at noon, when I have it set to update, saying it can't connect to the server. The program is installed just fine and works, but I think I may need to do a manual update. I did that the other day, no problem.

When I bring up my laptop, I get the "Failed" message mentioned above. What is happening is that AVG tried to up date before the computer had opened its link to the internet. If you open at a consistent time, you can set it to update after you open and not bother you.

I get that message often on my work computer. I thought it was the same thing as terrier describes above, but the last day or so the window has been popping up in the middle of the day when it tries later to update automatically.

Happens to me too every day, and I worked out it's because it tries to connect before the computer has got online, so I do it manually. But why does it do this? why isn't it somehow set to wait until the computer has done its thing?

I have the same problem and it is very irritating, because NOTHING works, until last week everything was fine. I have windows Vista on the desktop, and I tried removing AVG and re-installing it, none prevail, I also ran zillion spyware scan, with spy bot, serval virus scan with AVG it got a lot of bugs that got undetected before. But AVG do not update, I can try automatic manual whatever it still tells me that the connection with the update server failed.

Funny because I have AVG 8.0 installed on my windows XP laptop and it still update fine, makes me wonder if it's not a problem with vista.

Every morning it says it cannot connect to the server, but it updates itself at another time during the day, on its own. Whenever I check the date on the update it is fine. So check it once or twice to see what the date on the update is. You may not need to do anything.

I have been running AVG Free 8.0 since April, and manually updating, which worked fine. (Unlike AVG 7.5) Then a couple of weeks ago I entered the AVG circle of hell. It wants to restart, and restart, and restart. You could do it forever. In the end I got SO pissed with it, after two uninstallations and reinstallations, I gave it the boot and bought McAfee yesterday. Still getting to grips with it, and the laptop was unbelievably slow when I started up tonight. I don't learn any NEW bad language, but get creative with what I Do know!

I've had no problems with Symantec, other than some confusing instructions (which can be handled) on their "accounts" web pages.

On the other hand, when I got a new computer with McAfee preinstalled and went to McAfee's website to resolve a problem (quite a while ago), the adware was so intrusive I had to install new (some temporary) cleaners just to get rid of the crapware that I got from McAfee. I've heard that they've cleaned their site up, but haven't had a need to penetrate very deeply there since.

The current Symantec, Norton Internet Security 2009, doesn't even visibly do scheduled scans. It runs online/realtime to block any incoming, but scans drives as a background process only when the computer is idle. You see it only when it's found something that needs a "permission" to be cleaned up. And the EULA allows you to use one subscription on up to three computers. Although it's not free, I don't figure $20/year/computer for annual update is too bad a deal. I'd have to recalculate if I had only one machine to use it on, maybe.

I bought NIS2007, which was upgraded (no extra charge) to NIS2008 on all three computers at the last renewal. A call for assistance when a MickeyMouse update disrupted the scan engine a couple of weeks ago on one machine got me a free upgrade to NIS2009 on the machine with the problem (that I can install on the other two if I get around to it) - and a free week extension on my subscription for all three machines as "apology for waiting in queue for too long" for the assistance.

I did wait a little less than an hour for 'phone assistance, probably because a lot of people got the same update from Mickey, and quite a few apparently had the same problem. The fix took a while, because it was necessary to uninstall the old NIS2008 and download and install the new NIS2009, but it was about as painless as the language barriers permit for any kind of support you're likely to find now.

With NIS2007 or NIS2008, it did take about 5 to 7 hours on my computer (3 to 5 hard drives, ~2,000,000 items scanned) for the weekly scheduled scan. (< an hour on any of the other "observable" machines.) I did find that the slowdown from letting it run "in background" while I went ahead and used the computer was "detectable" sometimes, but not obtrusive. I seem to remember it interfered a little more when we were on dialup, but it was easier then to just ignore the machine until it finished. (The better it works, the more you have to use it?)

AVG, including the free version, was getting top-tier ratings in camparison tests a year ago. I haven't seen it in the "recommended" lists in the most recent reviews (usually about quarterly for my main sources), although it still shows up in the "acceptable" tier; but I haven't really looked at whether it's because they've slipped a bit or because others have gone past them. Many vendors have added extra features like anti-phishing, data vault, and popup blocking to what were basic AV programs, and all-in-one programs tend to get better ratings than minimal AV ones (if all of the features work decently).

I started out with Norton, but it was causing so much trouble, I dumped it for AVG. The rest as they say is history. The Government department for whom I work, uses McAfee, so at least I know it is moderately reliable.....but watch this space.